© Jerome Miron | 2021 Feb 6
Warriors Twitter has been a sensitive bunch this season. That’s what happens when the team is just not very good after five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals.
The primary scapegoat has been Steve Kerr, his rotations and starting lineup a sore subject for so many who believe that if he just made the correct tweaks, the Warriors would be atop the Western Conference. It was more of the same on Monday night, when many questioned Kerr’s decision to bring Stephen Curry back in with just 5:33 left in the game, after the Warriors one-point fourth quarter lead turned into a seven point deficit.
It should be noted that Curry walked over to the scorers table about two minutes prior, but had to wait for a stoppage. Still, many criticized Kerr for waiting too long to allow Curry to check in, a consistent issue this year in the mind of many.
Whether or not it’s an “issue” is up for debate, but there’s no denying Curry has played less fourth quarter minutes than he did in his most recent full season, averaging 7.1 fourth quarter minutes in 2018-19 compared to just 5.4 minutes this year.
But it really isn’t an issue at all according to San Francisco Chronicle Warriors beat writer Connor Letourneau, who echoed Kerr’s postgame explanation that he’s playing the long game with Curry.
“I was a little surprised to see that become a huge storyline yesterday,” Letourneau said on “Papa & Lund” Tuesday. “I’m like ‘Why is this being talked about right now?’ Yes they lost this game, but they’ve lost games like this before when he’s come in midway through the fourth and it isn’t a storyline, so why is this a storyline right now?”
“I didn’t fully understand (the criticism). I think the Warriors have a system that works for them. They have a rotation pattern that’s proven to work for them for years now and when you’re talking about someone like Stephen Curry, it’s all about trying to extend his prime as long as humanly possible. A game here and a game there in February, in the grind of the regular season, is not really what matters ultimately. It’s making sure that he’s at his best when he’s 35/36 years old, to make sure the Warriors can extend their window, and chase a title for as long as humanly possible when Klay comes back.”
A complicating factor is Curry’s desire to play both the entire first and third quarters, meaning a rest at the beginning of the second and fourth quarter essential. Overall, Curry’s 33 minutes are consistent with how much he’s averaged over the past six seasons.
“I think people are kind of losing sight of what ultimately matters. The truth is this season doesn’t really matter, guys. They want to sneak into the playoffs, they want to hopefully win a first-round series, but in the grand scheme of things is that really a big deal. What matters is when Klay comes back next season, and putting together a legitimate title contender, but you need to make sure Steph’s at his best when that happens.”
Listen to the full interview below.